Please explain: CHOGM to focus on Turnbull’s weak emissions policy

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull might be enjoying a break from domestic (read: energy) politics at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London this week, but he is unlikely to escape scrutiny of his government’s feeble efforts on cutting emissions.

Alongside the important business of anointing a successor to the Crown, emissions targets have been thrust high on the CHOGM agenda for 2018, by none other than the meeting’s host.

As the Guardian reports, the UK government has used the forum to announce plans to review its long-term emission reduction target – raising the possibility it could implement a “net zero” goal for 2050, up from the existing target of 80 per cent.

Whether it does this or not, the news makes Australia – with its unshakable commitment to a 2030 target of 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels, and complete absence of any longer-term target (Tony Abbott dumped the long term target when he dumped the carbon price) – look pretty pathetic.

As do the findings of a Christian Aid report, released on Monday, that named Australia – alongside the UK and Canada – as being in climate mitigation “deficit,” while some of the Commonwealth’s poorer countries – Bangladesh, Kenya and Zambia, for example – were in credit.

Small island states vulnerable to sea level rise – and many of them Australia’s Pacific Island neighbours, like Kiribati, Vanuatu and Tuvalu – were also more than doing their fair share, the report found.

The report, which assessed national capacity to make cuts and emissions since 1990 to calculate fair proportional efforts to address climate change, included the below table which translates each country’s mitigation deficit into TWh of renewable energy.

Meanwhile, in Australia, the federal government will try again this week to win the states over to its National Energy Guarantee which, according to broad independent consensus, won’t help cut carbon emissions, won’t incentivise a shift away from coal power, and might even dampen renewables investment.

As we reported yesterday, the latest indication from the Coalition on the shape of Turnbull’s NEG is that it will hold position not just on a weak emissions target, but on locking it in for as long as possible.

Contrast this with the UK, which – on top of its plans to review its 2050 emissions target – has set a clear target to exit coal, will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and is using an independent authority to advise it on all matters climate.

(Australia has one of those, called the Climate Change Authority, but tends to ignore it.)

But Turnbull won’t be able to ignore climate change in CHOGM, which has also flagged climate inequality – both in terms of its effects, and the efforts made to combat it – as a major topic of discussion.

In its pre-meeting notes, the Commonwealth said that climate change would disproportionately impact poorer former British colonies.

“Without urgent action to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience, the impacts of climate change could push an additional 100 million people across the world into poverty by 2030,” the CHOGM statement said.

“This is particularly relevant for the Commonwealth as 39 of our 53 members are small or other vulnerable states.

“The Commonwealth is well placed to take action, underlining our on-going commitment to tackling climate change, protecting the environment and increasing the resilience of our members.”

9 Comments

If Turnbull thinks he can stay in power by ignoring CHOGM, then that’s what he’ll do. This appears to be his modus operandi. The consummate politician.

Consequences be damned.

I wonder if Peter Dutton will still make jokes about island nations when their populations start arriving on Australia’s shores.

Grpfast 1 year ago

Must be embarrassing as an acknowledged Republican, now a climate change denier and anti renewables. What does he actually do there?

Joe 1 year ago

The thing is Two Tonguer Turnbull & Co have no shame. They couldn’t care less what others think. They dismiss people with vision who have the gall to back up their vision. People like the Elon with his big battery, people like the Sanjeev making the steel from solar and of course The COALition wet themselves with excitement every chance they got to stick it to SA ex-Premier Jay for showing up The COALition’s do nothing lack of leadership on RE. Perhaps CHOGM could get the legal proceedings under way to prosecute Turnbulll & co for ‘Crimes against Humanity’.

Grpfast 1 year ago

It’s bigger than this. His government has created a security risk to Australia through their climate denial and leaving our Pacific neighbours on their own to face this. I comes China with money and plans to help out. He sits at an international congress with his stupid smarmy grin and does nothing!

Pedro 1 year ago

Well said. Australia being perceived to be an international climate change action blocker sends a strong message to our Pacific neighbours of non friendship. Here we go helping out China with its plans to be the foremost geopolitical power in our region. Well done LNP!

Rob Cace 1 year ago

Well Said! Australia’s political signals and inaction is sending a message that will have ramifications across the planet for many generations to come. Australia has been viewed as a country that has fairer political and social systems than most of the world. We may have less than 1% of the planets pollution production directly but politically we punch well above our weight in the global arena. Our actions are viewed on the world stage. The politicians are all in favour of globalisation yet this carries a responsibility of being a world citizen.

fehowarth 1 year ago

Smarmy smirk?

Ian 1 year ago

Maybe Scomo will take his lump of coal over to do his performance for the event

Ren Stimpy 1 year ago

Alas, poor Anthracite! I knew him, Hydro, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.